DARPA Smartphone App Locates the Direction of Gunfire

With gunfire related injuries and deaths increasing more than ever, it is probably time for us all to have a smartphone app that lets us know from which direction a shot was fired.

DARPA has funded a recent project at Vanderbilt University, where researchers have created a smartphone app that analyses shockwaves and sounds emitted when a bullet is shot. The app is meant for only law enforcement professionals and not for civilians. The app requires 6 sensor boxes that contain sensitive microphones inside. These 6 palm-sized external sensor boxes are placed in areas that are deemed dangerous. When a bullet is fired, the sensor box relays information to the smartphone application and detects the direction from which the bullet was fired.

While there is nothing new in the technology or the gadget here, the coolest part is that app developers put together all the technology that was already available and created a smartphone app that could help police and soldiers detect from where a bullet was fired. Such an app can be a lot more accurate than human hearing and can help cops to race towards the direction from where the bullets were fired. An app like this could not only save human lives but also save a lot of time and effort on the part of police departments, which are already deluged by a rising crime rate and gunfire related incidents.

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